A true understanding of cellular biology, and of therapeutic effects on pathological conditions under a variety of experimental conditions, requires the noninvasive monitoring of metabolism. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) methods enable metabolism to be studied noninvasively. We have developed a cell perfusion technique allowing the effective application of NMR methods to cell lines grown in culture. This technique consists of embedding cells in a neutral agarose gel thread (0.5 mm) which allows continuous perfusion and rapid diffusion of metabolites into the cells. We are currently applying P31 H1 and C13 NMR to study the metabolism of human lymphocytes and breast cancer (MCF-7) cell lines and the effects of perturbants, such as heat, pH and drugs, upon them. We are also developing sensitive surface coils using the same multi-nuclear NMR approach. This will enable us to carry out investigations on subcutaneous tumors in rodents in vivo, in order to correlate findings with the well-controlled in vitro studies.